Multicomponent magnetization in western Dolpo (Tethyan Himalaya, Nepal): tectonic implications

A palaeomagnetic study has been carried out in the Tethyan Himalaya (TH; the northern margin of Greater India). Twenty-six palaeomagnetic sites have been sampled in Triassic low-grade metasediments of western Dolpo. Two remanent components have been identified. A pyrrhotite component, characterized by unblocking temperatures of 270-335 degreesC, yields an in situ mean direction of D = 191.7degrees, I = -30.9degrees (k=29.5, alpha(95)=5.7degrees, N=23 sites). The component fails the fold test at the 99% confidence level (k(in) (situ)/k(bed) = 6.9) and is therefore of postfolding origin. For reason of the low metamorphic grade, this pyrrhotite magnetization is believed to be of thermo-chemical origin. Geochronological data and inclination matching indicate an acquisition age around 35 Ma. The second remanence component has higher unblocking temperatures (>400 degreesC and up to 500-580 C range) and resides in magnetite. A positive fold test and comparison with expected Triassic palaeomagnetic directions suggest a primary origin. The postfolding character of the pyrrhotite component, and its interpreted age of remanence acquisition, implies that the main Himalayan folding is older than 35 Ma in the western Dolpo area. This study also suggests that the second metamorphic event (Neo-Himalayan) was more significant in the Dolpo area than the first (Eo-Himalayan) one. A clockwise rotation of 10-15degrees is inferred from the pyrrhotite component, which is compatible with oroclinal bending and/or rotational underthrusting models. This rotation is also supported by the magnetite component, indicating that no rotation of the Tethyan Himalaya relative to India took place before 35 Ma. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.